MASTER 
NEGATIVE 

NO.  92-80773 


MICROFILMED  1992 
COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES/NEW  YORK 


as  part  of  the 
Western  Civilizatioi 


Funded  by  the 
ENDOWMENT  FOR  THE  HUMANITIES 


Reproductions  may  not  be  made  without  permission  from 

Columbia  University  Library 


COPYRIGHT  STATEMENT 

The  copyright  law  of  the  United  States  -  Title  17,  United 
States  Code  ~  concerns  the  making  of  photocopies  or  other 
reproductions  of  copyrighted  material.. 

Columbia  University  Library  reserves  the  right  to  refuse  to 
accept  a  copy  order  if,  in  its  judgement,  fulfillment  of  the  order 
would  involve  violation  of  the  copyright  law. 


AUTHOR 


AGER ,  JOHN  CURTIS 


TITLE: 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG 


PLACE: 


[PHILADELPHIA] 


DATE: 

[18 


Restrictions  on  Use: 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 
PRESERVATION  DEPARTMENT 


Master  Negative  # 


BIBLIOGRAPHIC  MICROFORM  TARGET 


Original  Material  as  Filmed  -  Existing  Bibliographic  Record 


,*< 


t  938.94  ^  J  hn  C  utVv'5.-;  ifSS"- 1  f  /  f] 

^^  Emanuel  Swedenborg 

Nar  S   32  p   (American  new  church  tract 

^   and  pul?lication  society   cTractsi) 

•  No  title-page 

No  2  of  a  vol  of  pamphlets 


t 


L. 


33ri(> 


o 


FILM     SIZE: >_ 

IMAGE  PLACEMENT:    lA 
DATE     FILMED: _l/jl 


TECHNICAL  MICROFORM  DATA 

REDUCTION     RATIO:__iLH 

IB    IIB 
'^^       _     __     INITIALS__i7il/ 


HLMEDBY:    RESEARCH  PUBLICATIONS.  INC  WOODBRIDGE.  CT 


Association  for  Information  and  Image  Management 

1100  Wayne  Avenue,  Suite  1100 
Silver  Spring,  Maryland  20910 

301/587-8202 


Centimeter 

12         3        4 

lllllllllllllllllllllllllillllillllll 


Mil 


Inches 


iri 


5 

iiiliiii 


10       11        12       13       14       15    mm 


6         7        8         9        10       11       12       13       14       1 

iiil|iiil[iiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliii|lm 


1 


1.0 

1^      2.8 

■  e°           ,„      „ 

4.0 

IS. 

1.4 

1  ^-^ 

2.2 
2.0 

1.8 

1.6 

I.I 

1.25 

MPNUFnCTURED   TO   fillM   STfiNDRRDS 
BY   fiPPLIED   IMAGE-    INC. 


.  Jh 


M. 


Blfl^bth  Series.    If o.  14L 


ii\ 


"'^'5^.^ 


Zl 


in  the  ©ittr  of  |Uw  ||<»vU 


ifei^axg 


^ 


,1 


EMAITUEL  SWEDENBOEG. 


BY  THE  KEY.  J.  C.  AGEB. 


Emanuel  Swedenborg  was  born  in  Stockholm, 
Sweden,  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  January,  1688.  His 
ancestors,  as  far  back  as  they  can  be  traced,  were 
mainly  Swedish  miners.  His  grandfather,  Daniel 
Isaksson,  gained  considerable  wealth  by  developing 
a  deserted  copper  mine  near  Fahlun.  He  is  said  by 
his  son  Jesper  to  have  been  "  honest,  far  from  worklly 
])ride  and  luxury,  and  bent  on  speaking  the  truth/' 
He  had  implicit  faith  in  Providence,  and  believed 
that  his  undertakings  were  prospered  for  his  chil- 
dren's sake.  This  he  impressed  upon  his  children 
by  saying  frequently  at  meals,  "Thank  you,  my 
ohiklren,  for  this  meal ;  God  has  given  me  food  for 
your  sakes.'*  His  wife  was  equally  devout.  Jesj^er 
said  of  her,  "  My  mother  was  to  me  all  that  Monica 
was  to  Augustine." 

The  five  sons  of  these  parents,  according  to  a  cus- 
tom of  the  time,  adopted  the  surname  Swedberg, 
from  the  name  of  the  family  homestead,  Sweden. 
The  second  son,  Jesper,  was  born  in  1653.  His 
hereditary  piety  was  deepened  and  confirmed  by  a 


2  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG. 

wonderful  escape  from  death  by  drowning   in  I118 
sixth  year.     His  literary  tastes  and  love  of  religious 
truth  were  early  developed.     At  thirteen  he  was  sent 
to  the  university  town  of  Upsala,  but  after  three 
years  was  removed  to  Lund,  where  he  completed  his 
literary  course,  and  then  returned  in  1674  to  Upsala 
for  his  theological  training.     Six  years  later,  in  1682, 
after  several  years'  service  as  parish  preacher,  he  re- 
ceived at  Upsala  the  degree  of  Master  of  Philosophy. 
The  same  year  he  was  appointed  chaplain  of  the 
King's  Life  Guards,  and  the  next  year  (1683)  mar- 
ried Sara,  daughter  of  Albrecht  Behm,  Assessor  of 
the  Royal  College  of  Mines.     The  following  year 
ho  was  granted  a  year's  furlough,  which  he  spent  in 
travel  in  England  and  on  the  Continent,  forming 
many  valuable  acquaintances,  and  acquiring  useful 
knowledge.     On  his  return,  he  devoted  himself  zeal- 
ously to  his  duties  as  chaplain,  and  also  officiated 
frequently  as  court  chaplain.     It  was  while  residing 
at  Stockholm  in  this  capacity  that  his  third  child 
was  born,  on  the  29th  of  January,  1688.     He  named 
him  Emanuel,  "convinced,"  he  writes,  "that  chil- 
dren ought  to  be  called  such  names  as  will  awaken 
in  them  and  call  to  their  minds  the  fear  of  God  and 
everything  that  is  orderly  and  righteous." 

As  court  chaplain,  Swedberg  came  into  intimate 
relations  to  the  king  (Charles  XL),  who  soon  dis- 
covered the  young  man's  ability  and  zeal  and  learn- 
ing. He  appointed  him  on  a  commission  to  revise 
the  translation  of  the  Bible,  and  the  work   was 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG, 


8 


^ 


speedily  completed.  In  1690  he  assigned  him  to 
an  important  country  parish.  Two  years  after,  he 
appointed  him  Professor  of  Theology  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Upsala ;  the  next  year.  Rector  of  the  Uni- 
versity; the  next  year.  Dean  of  the  Cathedral  at 
Upsala,  and  First  Professor  of  Theology ;  and  two 
years  later,  in  addition  to  these  duties.  Superintendent 
of  the  Swedish  Churches  in  America,  London,  and 
Portugal.  Six  years  after  this,  Swedberg  was  ap- 
pointed Bishop  of  Skara,  upon  which  office  he  en- 
tered in  1703,  and  held  until  his  death  in  1735.  In 
1719  his  family  was  ennobled,  receiving  the  name 
of  Swedenborg.  The  biographer  of  Bishop  Swed- 
berg, in  the  Swedish  "  Biographical  Dictionary,"  en- 
dorses the  estimate  of  an  earlier  writer,  that  he  was 
"  a  man  who,  if  he  had  lived  a  few  hundred  years 
earlier,  might  have  increased  the  number  of  Swedish 
saints,  and  whose  learning,  industry,  exemplary  life, 
good  intentions,  and  zeal  for  God's  glory  deserve  to 
be  venerated  even  by  a  more  enlightened  century." 

Of  the  early  years  of  his  son  Emanuel  but  little 
is  known.  He  was  educated  at  Upsala,  where  from 
his  fourth  to  his  fifteenth  year  his  father  resided  as 
Professor  and  Dean.  After  his  father's  removal  to 
Skara  in  1703,  he  continued  at  Upsala  until  1709; 
when,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  on  leaving  the  uni- 
versity, he  printed  the  thesis  he  had  read  in  the  uni* 
versi ty  hall,  an  essay  on  morals,  consisting  largely  of 
extracts  from  Seneca  and  Publius  Syrus  Mimus,  with 
Swedenborg's  comments  thereon.    Late  in  life,  he 


4  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORQ. 

answers  Dr.  Beyer's  inquiries  about  his  childhood  as 
follows:  "From  my  fourth  to  my  tenth  year,  I  was 
constantly  engaged  in  thought  about  God  and  salva- 
tion and  the  spiritual  affections  of  men  ;  and  several 
times  I  disclosed  things   in   my  discourse  that  as- 
toni.shed  my  father  and  mother  and  made  them  say 
that  angels   must  have  spoken   through  my  mouth. 
From  my  sixth  to  my  twelfth  year,  I  took  delight 
in  talking  with   the  clergy  about  faith,  contending 
that  love  is  the  life  of  faith,  and  that  this  vivifying 
love  is  love  to  the  neighbor;  also  that  God  gives 
this  faith  to  every  one,  but  that  it  is  accepted  (mly 
by  those  who  practise  that  love.     My  only  belief  at 
that  time  was  that  God  is  the  Creator  and  Preserver 
of  nature,  aud  that  He  endows  man  with  under- 
standing, good  disposition,  and  other  resultant  quali- 
ties.    Of  the  belief  that  God  the  Father  imputes 
the  righteousness  of  His  Son  to  whomsoever  and 
whenever   He   pleases,  even    to   the   impenitent,  I 
knew  nothing,  and  had  I  heard  of  such  a  faith,  it 
would  have  been  then,  as  now,  incomprehensible  to 
me."     And  elsewhere  he  says,  "  From  my  earliest 
years  I  could  never  admit  into  my  mind  the  thought 
of  more  Gods  than  one;  I  have  always  accepted  and 
still  retain  the  idea  of  one  God  only." 

With  a  father  so  full  of  zeal  as  a  religious  teacher, 
and  serving,  during  this  whole  period,  as  an  instruc- 
tor in  dogmatic  theology  in  a  Lutheran  university, 
how  can  we  account  for  this  entire  absence  from 
Swedenborg's  mind  of  all  the  distinctive  features  of 


/ 


I  » 


is 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  5 

the  old  theology,  except  by  a  Providential  prepara- 
tion from  his  earliest  years  for  his  future  work  ? 

Leaving  the  university  in  1709,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  he  spent  a  few  months  at  home,  busying 
himself  with  music  and  some  other  useful  pursuits, 
and  preparing  for  the  foreign  tour  by  which  a  uni- 
versity training  was  then  supplemented.  Mathe- 
matics was  the  chief  study  to  which  he  intended  to 
devote  himself  while  abroad.  In  1710  he  sailed  for 
England,  where  he  remained  about  two  years  and  a 
half.  He  gave  no  time  to  mere  sight-seeing,  but 
sought  the  acquaintance  of  the  best  mathematicians 
and  astronomers  and  entered  heartily  into  their 
work.  One  of  the  chief  problems  of  the  science 
at  that  time  was  an  easier  and  surer  way  of  deter- 
mining the  longitude  at  sea.  Flamsteed  at  Green- 
wich was  working  at  this  problem,  and  Swedenborg 
at  once  took  it  up,  and  gave  much  thought  to  it 
for  several  years.  His  other  favorite  study  was 
mechanics.  By  lodging  with  skilful  artisans,  and 
frequently  changing  his  lodgings,  he  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  watch-making,  cabinet-making  and 
mathematical  instrument  making.  The  makers  of 
globes  refusing  to  sell  him  the  sheets  to  be  mounted 
in  Sweden,  he  acquired  the  art  of  copper  engraving, 
and  engraved  the  plates  for  a  pair  of  globes,  which 
he  sent  home  to  have  sheets  printed  therefrom  and 
mounted.  He  made  himself  sufficiently  familiar 
with  all  improvements  in  scientific  instruments  to  be 
able  to  reproduce  them  at  home.     When  overtaxed 


« 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG. 


by  his  scientific  studies,  he  devoted  himself  to  poetry. 
With  this  variety  of  studies  he  was  never  idle,  and 
gave  little  time  to  society. 

After  two  years  of  hard  work  in  England  he  went, 
in  1712,  to  Holland,  and  thence  to  France.  In 
Leyden  he  acquire<l  the  art  of  lens-making,  and 
purchased  the  necessary  instruments.  At  Paris  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  the  best  mathematicians 
and  astronomers,  and  continued  his  studies,  besides 
acquiring  the  language.  On  his  way  home  through 
Germany,  he  stopjied  for  a  time  at  Rostock  to  write 
out  the  results  of  his  studies  and  mature  some  of  his 
inventions.  Writing  to  his  brother-in-law,  Benze- 
lius,  September  8, 1714,  he  enumerates  fourteen  im- 
portant mechanical  inventions  which  h«  hiw  wrlttcui 
out  for  publication.  The  next  few  months  were 
spent  at  the  little  university  town  of  Qreifswalde,  in 
Pomerania,  a  German  province  which  then  belonged 
to  Sweden,  where  he  published  a  volume  of  poems 
in  Latin  of  considerable  merit.  In  the  summer  of 
1715  he  crossed  over  to  Sweden,  after  nn  nbocsoe  of 
nearly  five  years. 

Swedenborg  wos  now  twenty-seven  yetlt  old.  He 
was  in  every  way  admirably  equij)ped  for  the  work 
to  which  he  was  inclined.  He  had  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  the  best  mathematicians  ami  Astrono- 
mers of  the  time,  and  had  become  familbr  with  thiiir 
lines  of  inquiry  and  the  results  of  their  laboni.  He 
had  investigated  the  new  discoveries  in  physics  and 
mechanics  and  the  latest  applications  of  mechanical 


\ 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  J 

principles  to  practical  pursuits.  His  father,  the 
bishop,  applied  (the  king  being  absent)  to  the  lord 
lieutenant  for  a  suitable  position  for  his  son.  But 
Swedenborg  was  too  devoted  a  lover  of  science  to 
give  much  thought  to  pecuniary  matters.  His  mind 
was  teeming  with  new  projects,  the  two  chief  of 
which  were  the  establishment  of  an  observatory  on 
a  mountain  near  by,  where  he  could  make  the 
necessary  observations  to  substantiate  his  theory  for 
determining  the  longitude,  and  the  establishment 
of  a  magazine  for  the  promotion  of  mathematics 
and  mechanics.  In  the  latter  enterprise  he  had 
the  co-operation  of  Polhem,  the  most  distinguishe<l 
mechanician  and  physicist  of  that  time. 

The  first  nnmlwr  of  tliis  magazine,  which  was 
called  "  Djc<lahis  HyjKrlKiiviue,"  K<H.*mM  to  liave  been 
ibsucd  at  the  beginning  of  1716.  It  was  [xriuted  iu 
Swcslish  luid  illuBtralod  by  cop|>€r-plate  engravings. 
During  thitt  and  the  two  following  years  ^x  numWrs 
were  induud,  when  it  was  disoootiniied,  partly  from 
lack  of  support  and  ^^rtly  bocsusc  of  Swcdcnborg's 
absorption  in  other  pursuit*.  It«  publuution,  how- 
ever, led  to  important  rcsiuha.  It  brouj^ht  Sweden- 
borg into  inlimate  relations  with  Polhem;  and  on 
(lie  return  oT  (he  king,  Cl»arics  XII.,  from  bb  long 
exile,  at  the  end  of  1715,  when  Ihj  dcvntod  fiimsclf, 
for  a  brief  period,  to  projcdH  for  the  improvement 
of  his  country,  Polhein  becunie  his  cliicf  adviser. 
Charles  wn8  hinisdf  an  accomplbhed  mathematidan 
and  mcchanictan,  and  rea<lily  a]>ptX'Ctated  Swoden- 


8 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORQ, 


III 


borg's  abilities  and  acquirements;  and  was  pleased 
with  his  efiforts  to  advance  those  sciences  in  his  native 
country.  He  at  once  appointed  Swedenborg  to  tlie 
office  of  Assessor  Extraordinary  in  the  College  of 
Mines.  This  is  the  department  of  the  Swedish  gov- 
ernment that  controls  and  administers  one  of  the 
most  important  industries  of  the  country.  It  ap- 
points and  directs  the  various  officers  that  superin- 
tend the  mining  and  smelting  business,  and  decides 
all  questions  of  administration,  and  all  lawsuits  in 
which  mining  interests  are  involved. 

The  king's  warrant  is  dated  December  18,  1716. 
It  assigns  Swedenborg  to  the  special  duty  of  assisting 
Polhem  in  his  engineering  works,  and  of  advising 
the  College  in  respect  to  all  mechanical  matters- 

Thus  Swedenborg  at  the  age  of  twenty-^ij^ht  was 
started  on  his  public  career.  He  enterctl  upon  ttio 
duties  of  his  office  with  his  characteristic  fuithfulncff 
and  zeal.  He  tried  to  master  not  only  ([xa  pFBM!ti<nl 
details  of  the  business,  but  also  all  its  scientific  bear- 
ings. At  fii^t  his  leisure  hours  weredevo<ed  mainly 
to  the  "Dfedalus,"  the  sixth  and  last  number  of  which 
was  published  in  October,  1718.  But  lie  witcn?d 
heartily  into  other  projects  not  directly  oonnccCcd 
with  his  office,  such  as  the  establishment  of  an  ob- 
servatory at  Upsala,  a  new  system  of  niim^ratton,  it) 
which  the  king  was  greatly  interested,  and  Uie  pro- 
motion of  the  study  of  algebra,  a  text-book  of  which 
he  published  in  1718. 

The  constant  intercourse  between  Swedonboi^  and 


EMANUEL  SWEDKNnokQ. 


9 


Polhem  led  to  an  intimate  and  lasting  friendship. 
Swedenborg  was,  at  times,  a  member  of  Polhem's 
family.  He  became  warmly  attached  to  Pol  hem's 
second  daughter,  Emerentia,  then  about  sixteen,  and 
her  father  gave  him  a  written  claim  upon  her,  which 
she  was  compelled  to  sign.  But  when  Swedenborg 
discovered  that  his  love  was  not  reciprocated,  he  re- 
linquished his  claim  and  left  the  house,  with  a  solemn 
vow,  it  is  said,  never  to  fix  his  affections  on  any 
woman  again.  He  never  married,  and  never  forgot 
his  first  love. 

In  this  same  year  (1718)  Swedenborg  accomplished 
the  engineering  feat  of  transporting  two  galleys,  ^\q 
large  boats,  and  a  sloop  some  seventeen  miles  over- 
land, by  macl)inery  of  his  own  devising.  This 
eiHiblctl  King  Charles  to  brinjic  ^'^^  heavy  artillery 
to  bear  oii  the  >TalU  of  Frc<lcrick5»hall,  vrhicli  hb 
was  ttieu  besieging. 

The  followinj?  year  (1710)  Swc<]<!nlwrg*«  (amity, 
as  a  r<;wan:l  for  pulijic  gcrvioes,  was  eimobled.  Thi» 
gave  liim,  a«  the  chlc^t  «>n^  a  8cal  in  Uie  U|>j)er 
houM  of  the  Swcsli^h  Parliament,  and  opei>ed  to 
him  a  ucvr  field  of  af!tivity,  in  which  ho  displayed 
the  same  eomprvhcnslve  wiiodom  that  clir^ rioter ised 
\m  s«cientilic  and  |»hi]o6ophkal  aindicdw  Througli- 
out  hiM  life  he  was  a  firm  advocate  of  oonstittittonal 
governnM'nt.  In  his  later  years,  in  one  of  his  memo- 
rials to  tJie  DJft^  rwpixrting  the  i>rrri)gativ<»  of  the 
CrowD»  he  declarer  that,  *^  do  otie  lims  tike  right  to 
leave  hiH  life  ai>d  pro|>crty  in  the  abeolute  power  of 


10 


EMANUEL  SWEDENRORO. 


*t 


any  individual,  for  of  these  God  alone  is  master,  and 
we  are  merely  his  stewards  in  this  world.  .  .  . 
Besides,  I  can  see  no  difference  between  a  king  of 
Sweden  who  possesses  absolute  power  and  an  idol, 
for  all  turn  themselves  heart  and  soul  as  well  to  the 
one  as  to  the  other;  they  obey  his  will  and  worship 
what  passes  from  his  mouth."  Twenty-five  years 
before,  he  had  expressed  his  admiration  of  the  re- 
publican form  of  government  he  had  found  in  Hol- 
land, as  being  "  the  surest  guarantee  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty,  and  a  form  of  government  more 
pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God  than  that  of  absolute 
empire."  In  a  republic,  he  adds,  no  undue  venera- 
tion and  homage  is  paid  to  any  man,  but  the  highest 
and  lowest  deems  himself  the  equal  of  kings  or 
emperore.  This  form  of  government  puts  men  into 
right  relations  to  God,  who  is  alone  worthy  of  ven- 
eration ;  while  absolute  governments  foster  deceit 
and  hypocrisy  even  in  religion. 

These,  in  brief,  were  the  political  principles  that 
Swedenborg  advocated  during  his  more  than  fifty 
years  of  active  membership  of  the  Swedish  Parlia- 
ment. He  was,  nevertheless,  always  held  in  high 
esteem  by  the  royal  family,  for  he  was  never  a  par- 
tisan. Count  von  Hopken,  the  most  eminent  states- 
man of  Sweden  at  that  time,  and  for  many  years 
prime  minister,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend,  says  of  Swe- 
denborg: "He  possessed  a  sound  judgment  upon 
all  occasions;  he  saw  everything  clearly,  and  ex- 
pressed himself  well  on  all  subjects.    The  most  solid 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG. 


11 


and  the  best  written  memorials  presented  to  the  Diet 
of  1761  on  matters  of  finance  were  from  his  pen." 
In   these   memorials   Swedenborg  contended  for  a 
sound  currency  and  the  fullest  satisfaction  of  all 
public  obligations.     It  is  also  worthy  of  note  that  a 
century  and  a  quarter  ago  he  was  an  earnest  advo- 
cate of  measures  to  check  intemperance.     On  the 
fly-leaf  of  one  of  his  books  the  following  was  found 
in  his  handwriting  :  "  The  immoderate  use  of  spiritu- 
ous liquors  will  be  the  ruin  of  the  Swedish  people." 
He  proposed  several  measures  to  the  Diet  to  impose 
restrictions  on  the  manufacture  and  consumption  of 
spirits,  also  a  law  to  suppress  tap-rooms  or  grog- 
shops, by  prohibiting  all  conveniences  for  drinking 
in  company  or  lounging  where  liquors  were  sold. 
He  declared  that  if  the  consumption  of  whiskey 
could  be  done  away  with  altogether,  it  would  pro- 
mote the  country's  welfare  and  morality  more  than 
all  the  income  that  could  be  realized  from  so  per- 
nicious a  habit. 

From  this  outline  of  his  views  on  political,  eco- 
nomical, and  social  questions,  let  us  return  to  his 
literary  work,  which  was  incessant. 

On  the  death  of  Charles  XII.,  at  the  close  of 
1718,  Swedenborg\s  engineering  duties,  to  which 
he  had  been  assigned,  came  to  an  end.  He  was 
as  yet  only  an  extra  Assessor  in  the  Board  of  Mines, 
an  office  without  a  salary.  Nevertheless,  he  took 
up  at  once  the  duties  of  the  office,  and  only  a  few 
weeks  after  the  death  of  Charles,  after  spending  the 


12 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORQ, 


Christmas  holidays  at  home,  we  find  him  starting  on 
a  tour  through  the  mining  districts,  from  which  he 
returned  in  February  to  Stockholm,  to  attend  the 
meetings  of  the  Board. 

The  summer  he  spent  in  a  careful  study  of  smelt- 
ing and  the  nature  and  treatment  of  fire.     In  No- 
vember  he   presented   to   the   Board   an   elaborate 
paper  minutely  describing  the  Swedish  methods  of 
smelting,  and  their  defects  and   possible  improve- 
ment, and  a  plan   for  a  model  furnace.     He  also 
proposed  certain  important  improvements  in  stoves, 
by  which  a  great  economy  of  heat  could  be  secured. 
He  also  included  vital  heat  in  his  investigations,  and 
prepared  an  elaborate  treatise  on  the  nature  of  the 
vital  forces,  which  he  presented  to  the  Royal  Board 
of  Health.     His  mining  studies  led  him  to  a  study 
of  the  facts  of  geology.     Only  a  few  had  yet  dared 
to  question  the  Scriptural  account  of  the  creation 
in  six  ordinary  days.    The  stratification  of  the  rocks, 
the  position  of  marine  fossils  far  inland,  and  like 
phenomena,  indicating  a  gradual  formation  of  the 
earth's  surface,  were  all  accounted  for  by  immediate 
creative  acts.     Swedenborg  gathered  up  conclusive 
proofs  that  Sweden  was  slowly  rising  from  the  ocean, 
and  showed  how  all  these  disputed  phenomena  could 
be  adequately  explained    by   slow  aqueous   action. 
This   was   tlie  strongest   proof  that   had  yet    been 
offered  of   those    earliest  principles   of   geological 
science,  which  a  few  advanced  students  were  begin- 
ning to  recognize  and  contend  for. 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG, 


13 


This  description  of  a  year's  work  (1719)  indicates 
the  fertility  of  Swedenborg's  mind.     There  was  not 
a  year  out  of  the  next  twenty-five  of  his  life  that 
was  not  equally,  and  some  were  far  more,  productive. 
A  comj)lete  statement  of  wliat  he  wrote  durincr  that 
time,  even  in  the  briefest  form,  would  cover  several 
pages.     The  above-mentioned  studies  naturally  led 
to  the  study  of  the  nature  and  constitution  of  matter. 
We  need  to  remind  ourselves  tliat  at  this  time  what 
we  call   modern  science  hardly  existed.     This  was 
especially  true  of  those   sciences  that  treat  hf  the 
constitution  and  laws  of  matter  and   force.      The 
theory  of  the   four  elements,   earth,  air,  fire,  and 
water,  had  not  yet  been  displaced.     Swedenborg  was 
dealing  especially  with  two  of  these,  fire  and  earth; 
and  during  the  next  year  (1720)  he  went  through 
all  the  literature  he  could  find  in  the  libraries  of 
Sweden  that  discussed  these  problems,  and  wrote  an 
extended   treatise  on  the  nature  of  matter,  only  a 
part  of  which  was  published.     He  now  felt  the  need 
of  more  extended  study  and  conference  with  foreign 
students.    From  July,  1721,  to  July,  1722,  he  spent 
in    Holland   and   Germany,    visiting  the  principal 
mines  and  centres  of  learning,  and  gathering  up-all 
available  knowledge  and  experience  that  would  throw 
light  on  his  studies.     At  Amsterdam  he  published  a 
work  on  the  nature  of  matter,  in  which  he  attempts 
to  account  for  the  differences  in  substances  by  the 
varying  geometrical  arrangement  of  their  particles. 
He    published    at    the   same  time  several    minor 


14 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG, 


treatises,  and  soon  after,  at  Leipsic,  published  a 
volume  of  essays,  relating  to  geology,  mechanics, 
and  chemistry. 

During  the  next  eleven  years  (1722-33)  Sweden- 
borg's  time  was  devoted,  without  stint,  to  his  official 
duties.  He  tried  to  introduce  into  Sweden  such  im- 
proved methods  in  mining  as  he  had  observed  abroad. 
But  there  was  not  much  intelligent  enterprise  or  ap- 
preciation of  exact  science  in  the  administration  of 
the  Swedish  mines;  and  Swedenborg,  in  this  as  in 
other  things,  was  in  advance  of  his  times. 

This  absorption  of  his  time  by  his  official  duties 
did  not,  however,  interrupt  his  studies.     Not  much 
was  published ;  but  two  extensive  treatises,  one  on 
the  magnet,  the  other  on  the  treatment  of  metals, 
written  during  this  period,  are  among  his  unpub- 
lished manuscripts.     The  main  results,  however,  of 
this  eleven  years'  study  are  embodied  in  the  three 
folio    volumes    "Philosophical    and    Metallurgical 
Works,''  published  at  Dresden  and  Leipsic  in  1734. 
The  first  of  these  volumes  is  an  exposition  of 
Swedenborg's  theory  of  creation.     His  theory  of 
motion    is   first    demonstrated    philosophically  and 
mathematically.     This  theory  of  motion  is  then  ex- 
emplified in  the  phenomena  of  magnetism.    Finally, 
the  origin  of  the  universe  is  explained  in  accordance 
with  the  laws  thus  established. 

The  other  two  volumes  are  practical  treatises  on 
the  mining  and  working  of  iron  and  copper.  They 
were  at  once  received  by  metallurgists  as  standard 


\ 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  15 

fTorks,  the  treatise  on  iron  was  translated  into  French, 
and  the  volumes  were  quoted  and  commended  else- 
where, and  secured  for  Swedenborg  a  European 
reputation  as  a  mining  engineer. 

A  treatise  on  the  Infinite,  also  published  at  this 
time,  completes  Swedenborg's  purely  speculative 
studies.  It  is  an  attempt  to  apply  his  philosophy  to 
the  relations  between  the  Infinite  and  the  Finite,  God 
and  Man,  Spirit  and  Matter,  Soul  and  Body. 

Swedenborg  had  left  Sweden  in  May,  1733,  to 
complete  these  works  and  see  them  through  the  press. 
He  returned  in  July,  1734;  and  for  the  next  ten 
years,  apart  from  his  official  duties,  devoted  himself 
to  the  study  of  the  human  body,  which  he  recognized 
as  the  microcosm  in  which  all  the  laws  and  processes 
of  nature  are  concentrated  and  exemplified. 

Swedenborg,  in  these  studies,  gave  little  or  no 
time  to   original   investigation.      He   felt   himself 
better  med  for  digesting  facts  already  established 
than  for  experimental  observation.     He  also  wished 
to  escape  all  the  bias  of  mind  that  springs  from  pride 
of  discovery.     For  these  reasons   he  gathered  his 
facts  mainly  from  existing  authorities.     The  list  of 
authors  cited  by  him  shows   how  thorough  these 
studies  were.     And  when  to  this  exhaustive  study 
and  research  we  add  the  composition,  during  these 
ten  years,  of  enough  to  fill  ten  or  a  dozen  large 
octavo  volumes,  we  have  an  amount  of  labor  that 
can  hardly  be  paralleled  in  literary  history. 
It  is  impossible  in  this  brief  sketch  to  give  an 


IQ  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG. 

outline  even  of  the  philosophy  contained  in  these 
works.  Svvedenborg^s  aim,  in  all  his  studies,  was  to 
demonstrate  the  existence  of  Gal  and  of  the  human 
soul.  This  goal  he  hoped  to  reach  tlirough  a  pro- 
found  study  of  the  human  body.  He  was  convinced 
that  in  the  body  the  soul  is  imaged,  and  in  the  soul 
God  is  imaged.  By  these  steps  he  hoped  to  discover 
the  way  to  a  clear  apprehension  of  the  Divine.  Every 
or<ran  and  function  of  the  body  was  analyzed  and  its 
rerations  defined.  In  his  "  Economy  of  the  Ani.ual 
Kingdom,"  published  in  1740-41,  and  in  his  *^  Ani- 
mal \ingdom,"  published  in  1743-45,  and  in  the 
ma^s  of  manuscript  left  unpublished,  we  see  by  what 
various  lines  of  investigation  he  strove  to  gain  his 

object. 

By  none  of  these  methods,  however,  was  the 
desired  end  to  be  reached,  but  in  a  way  that  Sweden- 
borg  had  never  dreamed. 

As  early  as  1736,  when  he  had  fairly  entered  on 
this  last  phase  of  his  scientific  work,  Ssvedenborg 
began  to  take  notice  of  certain  remarkable  dreams 
and  mental  and  bodily  experiences  which  he  was 
then  unable  to  understand,  but  which  he  afterwards 
interpreted  as  the  beginning  of  what  followed.  In 
1743-44  he  was  brought  by  similar  experiences  into 
states  of  profound  mental  struggle  and  temptation. 
Up  to  this  time  he  had  been  a  devout  and  reputable 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  but  he  was  as 
little  conscious  as  the  average  church  member  has 
always  been  of  what  is  involved  in  losing  our  life 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG, 


17 


that  we  may  save  it.  By  dreams  which  opened  his 
mind  to  the  deadness  and  vileness  of  his  own  nature, 
followed  by  bitter  spiritual  struggles,  he  was  led,  little 
by  little,  to  relinquish  his  worldly  ambitions  and 
pride  of  intellect,  and  to  submit  his  will  completely 
to  the  Divine  will.  A  fragmentary  account  of  this 
remarkable  change  in  his  life  is  preserved  in  some 
private  memoranda  which  he  noted  down  during  the 
summer  of  1744.  By  these  experiences,  the  high 
aim  which  had  guided  him  in  all  his  studies  was  not 
thwarted,  but  was  realized  in  another  way.  He  had 
most  devoutly  sought  a  clearer  knowledge  of  God 
and  of  man's  spiritual  life.  He  had  set  out  to  solve 
this  mystery  by  purely  intellectual  methods,  or  by 
the  force  of  analytic  reasoning.  He  now  learned 
that  true  wisdom  is  reached  only  by  man's  full  reali- 
zation of  his  own  ignorance  and  a  complete  submis- 
sion of  his  mind  to  Divine  direction.  This  he  came 
to  see  through  the  temptations  to  which  he  was  sub- 
ject, and  this  conviction  was  reflected  in  certain  sig- 
nificant dreams  that  were  granted  him.  In  a  memo- 
randum of  one  of  these,  he  says :  "  This  was  a  predic- 
tion that  the  Lord  Himself  will  instruct  me,  as  soon 
as  I  have  attained  to  that  state  in  which  I  shall  know 
nothing,  and  in  which  all  my  preconceived  notions 
will  be  removed,  which  is  the  first  state  of  instruc- 
tion. In  other  words,  I  must  first  become  a  little 
child,  then  I  can  be  nurtured  in  knowledge.    Such  is 

the  case  with  me  now." 

When  this  state  of  profound  humility  had  been 


18 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORQ, 


reached,  it  was  granted  to  Swedenborg  to  behold  by 
open  vision  the  spiritual  world,  and  to  beoome  the 
exponent  of  a  true  religious  philosophy. 

The  possibility  of  such  open  vision  no  believer  in 
the  Scriptures  can  doubt.  It  was  granted  not  alone  to 
the  writers  of  the  sacred  books,  but  to  many  others, 
whenever  the  circumstiuices  seemed  to  require  it. 
There  is  no  inherent  absurdity,  therefore,  in  Swe- 
denborg's  claim  to  have  shared  this  privilege.  It  is 
simply  a  question  whether  the  circumstances  required 
it.  And  our  answer  to  this  question  will  depend 
upon  our  view  of  the  circumstances.  It  is  the  unani- 
mous testimony  of  those  who  have  written  on  the 
subject  that  religion  never  reached  so  low  an  ebb  in 
Christendom  as  in  the  first  half  of  the  Uwt  century. 
In  Catholic  countries  the  revival  wliidi  had  been 
stirred  up  by  the  Protestant  Reformation  liad  died 
out,  and  the  temporary  quickening  of  thought  in  the 
Church  had  resulted  in  a  more  general  and  deadening 
scepticism.  In  England,  piety  and  rtiltgioiui  eo- 
thusiasm  were  regarded  with  the  utmost  contempt^ 
and  the  judgment  of  Archbishop  Lei)]^htoci,  that  tlic 
Church  had  become  "a  fair  carcass  deserted  of  ibi 
spirit,'*  is  substantially  repeated  by  every  historian. 
In  Germany,  Deism  and  scepticism  every  wli«re  pre- 
vailed, and  the  defenders  of  Christianity  were  afmid 
to  assert  its  supernatural  claims. 

This  condition  of  the  Church  did  n<it  .spring  from 
a  rejection  of  the  theology  of  the  day,  but  was  railiM* 
the  result  of  that  theology.   Of  the  Catholic  doctrinei 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG, 


19 


it  is  unnecessary  to  speak.  In  the  Protestant  coun- 
tries, the  hardest  and  bleakest  Calvinism  was  opposed 
by  an  equally  hard  and  bleak  Deism.  The  former 
despised  morality,  the  latter's  only  moral  message 
to  mankind  was  a  purely  selfish  system  of  ethics. 
The  prevalent  interpretation  of  Scripture  was  the 
driest  literalism,  and  there  was  no  belief  whatever 
in  a  present  spiritual  world. 

If  there  was  ever  a  time  in  the  religious  history 
of  the  race  that  required  a  special  Divine  interposi- 
tion, this  was  such  a  time. 

Swedenborg  claims  that  the  task  of  restoring  to 
the  Church  ih^  true  contents  of  the  Divine  word,  and, 
consequently,  the  true  interpretation  of  Christian  doc- 
trine, was  committed  to  him.  But  the  truth  he 
makes  known  he  does  oot  claim  m  \m  own  di)»- 
oovery.  If  he  did,  there  woak)  prolmbly  be  lc}«  <ipiK>- 
aition  to  hb  claim.  He  ixwi^  tluit  lie  wait  itodiing 
but  ail  iiMtramcnt  of  the  Lord  in  doing  this  work. 
Truth  18  simply  an  object  of  mental  vision.  The 
liord  niert'ly  openc<i  hU  spiritual  sight;  that  is, 
opened  his  mind  to  aoc  the  tnith ;  and  tlie  tmtii  he 
aaw  he  coramnnicatcd  to  the  world. 

In  respect  to  tlie  spiritual  worhl,  all  tmth  had 
perished  from  tlie  miiida  of  meo.  According  to  all 
the  prevalent  creeds  of  Christendom  of  that  (imc^ 
the  only  dxatre  of  human  life  is  the  material  an!- 
vane,  to  which  all  who  have  livcfl  will  be  brought 
bock.  Condcquentlj  all  Chrisctiati  teadiiDg,  which 
wa.H  in  agreemeDi  with  the  creed^  wa^  eaaeatiallr 


20 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORO. 


materialistic.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  above  all 
things,  that  a  knowledge  of  the  spiritual  world,  of 
what  life  is  apart  from  matter  and  its  conditions,  of 
what  man's  permanent  home  is,  of  the  relation  of 
spirit  to  matter,  and  of  the  spiritual  realm  of  being  t 
to  the  material,  should  be  restored  to  the  Church. 
To  restore  this  knowledge  to  the  Church  it  was 
necessary  that  some  man  should  acquire  it.  And  for 
this  acquirement  and  communication  of  such  knowl- 
edge only  two  things  were  needed  :  first,  that  the  man 
should  be  fitted  to  observe  carefully  and  to  com- 
prehend and  communicate  his  observations;  and, 
secondly,  that  he  should  have  his  higher  senses 
opened  that  he  might  actually  behold  and  observe, . 
as  the  seers  of  old   beheld,  that  other  theatre  of 

human  life.  ^ 

Swedenborg  claimed  that  this  task  was  committed 
to  him  by  the  Lord.  There  was  nothing  miraculous 
about  it.  What  needed  to  be  done  could  be  done 
only  in  this  way.  Belief  in  an  actual  spiritual 
world  had  perished.  It  was  needful  that  such  a  be- 
lief should  be  restored  to  the  Church.  It  was  equally 
needful  that  right  ideas  about  the  future  life  or  the 
spiritual  world,  and  about  the'relation  of  that  world 
to  this,  should  be  restored.  Such  knowledge  could 
be  given  to  man  by  permitting  him  to  behold  and 
carefully  study  the  spiritual  world,  and  this  could 
be  done  simply  by  the   opening  of  his  spiritual 

senses. 

There  was  much  else  that  needed  to  be  done.   The 


( 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORO. 


21 


Scriptures  had  become  a  sealed  book.  Swedenborg 
claims  that  the  key  to  all  Divine  language  is  the 
same  as  the  key  to  nature.  There  are  two  realms 
of  created  existence,  the  spiritual  and  the  physical. 

^  The  spiritual  is  the  real,  the  physical  is  the  phenom- 
enal. The  spiritual  is  the  substantial,  the  physical 
is  its  reflection  and  symbol.  Between  the  two  there 
is  everywhere  an  exact  correspondence,  and  the  real 
meaning  of  nature  can  be  seen  only  when  this  law 
is  recognized.  His  open  vision  enabled  Swedenborg 
to  perceive  this  universal  relation  between  the  spiritual 
and  the  natural,  to  perceive  this  law  of  correspond- 
ence, and  his  exhaustive  knowledge  of  the  physical 
world,  and  especially  of  the  human  body,  enabled 
him  to  see  with  great  clearness  and  fulness  the  appli- 

V  cation  of  this  law.  Then  applying  this  law  to  the 
interpretation  of  the  Divine  language  of  Scripture, 
he  found  that  it  opened  everywhere  its  real  meaning, 
that  interior  significance  wherein  lies  its  fulness  and 

Divinity. 

To  restore  to  the  Church  the  right  interpretation 
of  Scripture  was  Swedenborg's  chief  task.  Of  his 
theological  works  published  during  his  life,  two- 
thirds  were  devoted  to  the  exposition  of  Scripture. 
Most  of  the  remainder  were  expositions  of  the  doc- 
trinal contents  of  Scripture.    Of  the  writings  he  left 


) 


unpublished,  a  much  larger  portion  is  expository; 

descriptions  of  the   spiritual   world  are  introduced 

'  only  here  and  there  as  illustrations  of  laws   and 

principles.     He  makes  the  Divine  Word  the  sole 


22 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG, 


fountain  of  spiritual  truth  to  men.  During  all  his 
scientific  studies,  his  faith  in  Scripture  had  never 
wavered.  As  soon  as  he  perceived  what  his  work 
was  he  acquired  the  Hebrew  language,  the  Greek 
he  was  already  familiar  with,  and  thenceforward  the 
Word  of  God,  in  its  original  languages,  was  his  sole 
study.  He  began  by  reading  it  through  many  times, 
comparing  passage  with  passage,  making  concord- 
ances and  indexes,  and  following  up  what  light  he 
could  gain.  To  this  task,  before  his  first  theological 
work  appeared,  he  gave  five  years  of  untiring  and 
exhaustive  study,  such  as  he  had  before  given  to  his 
scientific  investigations.  His  preparatory  notes  and 
comments  made  during  this  period,  and  published 
since  his  death,  fill  a  dozen  octavo  volumes. 

It  is  a  fact  of  considerable  significance  that  the 
opening  of  Swedenborg's  spiritual  senses  made  no 
change  in  his  official  and  secular  life.  He  returned 
to  Sweden  in  the  summer  of  1745,  and  for  two  years 
gave  strict  attention  to  his  official  duties,  saying 
nothing,  apparently,  to  any  one  of  the  new  life  that 
had  opened  to  him.  Those  who  were  associated 
with  him  daily  in  business  discovered  evidently  no 
lack  of  mental  balance,  for  two  years  later  (1747), 
on  the  retirement  of  one  of  the  councillors  of  the 
Board  of  Mines,  Swedenborg  was  unanimously  rec- 
ommended by  his  colleagues  for  this  higher  office. 
But  wishing  to  give  his  entire  time  to  this  new  task 
that  had  been  laid  upon  him,  he  asked,  in  place  of 
promotion,  to  be  retired  altogether  from  the  Board. 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG, 


23 


According  to  established  custom,  after  his  long  ser- 
vice,  he   would   first   have   been   promoted   to  the 
higher   rank  and  have  had  the  full  salary  of  the 
higher  office  as  a  pension.    But  Swedenborg  petitioned 
the  king  not  to  advance  him  to  the  higher  position 
(lest,  as  he  says  elsewhere,  his  heart  should  be  in- 
spired with  pride),  but  to  retire  him  on  one-half  the 
salary  of  the  office  he  had  held.    This  request  was 
granted  in  June,  1747  ;  and  soon  after  Swedenborg 
seems  to  have  left  for  Holland,  where  he  devoted  him- 
self  for  a  year  to  the  preparation  of  the  first  volume 
of  the  first  theological  work  published  by  himself, 
which  was  also  the  largest.     It  is  called  the  "  Arcana 
Coelestia,''  and  is  an  exposition  of  the  books  of  Genesis 
and  Exodus.     The  original  edition  is  in  eight  large 
quarto  volumes.     It  has  been  translated  into  the 
English,  French,  German,  and  Swedish  languages. 
The  English  edition  of  it  is  in  twelve,  the  American 
in  ten,  octavo  volumes. 

In  the  "Arcana"  we  have  the  first  systematic  appli- 
cation of  the  law  of  correspondence  to  the  interpreta- 
tion of  Scripture.  The  text  is  taken  up,  verse  by  verse, 
and  the  spiritual  meaning  is  consecutively  set  forth. 
This  interpretation  is  confirmed  by  free  citation  of 
corresponding  expressions  from  all  parts  of  the  Word, 
making  the  work,  in  fact,  an  exposition  of  a  large 
portion  of  the  Scriptures. 

The  first  volume  of  the  "Arcana"  was  published  in 
1749,  the  eighth  and  last  in  1756.  The  first  volume 
was  doubtless  written  in  Holland  in  1748,  the  second 


24 


EMANUEL  SWEDEKBORG. 


EMANVEL  SWEDENB0R9. 


25 


!nij 


in  London  and  Amsterdam  in  1749,  a  portion  of 
the  third,  perhaps,  in  Aix-la-Chapelle,  where  he 
spent  the  winter,  and  the  remainder  at  Stoekliolm^ 
to  which  place  he  returned  in  the  spring  of  1750. 

Swedenborg  had  relinquished  his  place,  as  we 
have  seen,  in  the  Board  of  Mines,  but  his  theological 
pursuits  did  not  lessen  his  interest  in  civil  affairs. 
In  the  Diet  of  1755,  we  find  him  advocating  govern- 
mental encouragement  of  mining  interests  and  home 
manufactures  in  order  to  diminish  the  excess  of  im- 
ports over  exports.  He  urged  other  financial  re- 
forms ;  also  such  a  tax  on  the  manufacture  and  sale 
of  whiskey  as  would  check  its  production. 

At  the  beginning  and  at  the  close  of  the  exposi- 
tion of  each  chapter  in  the  "  Arcana"  there  are  descri|> 
tions  of  the  spiritual  world  and  its  relation  to  this 
world ;  descriptions  of  the  inhabitants  of  other  plan- 
ets, from  information  gained  in  the  spiritual  world, 
expositions  of  the  prophecies  relating  to  the  Last 
Judgment  and  the  Second  Coming  of  the  Lord  ;  and 
brief  expositions  of  doctrine.  As  soon  as  the  "Arcana" 
was  off  his  hands,  Swedenborg  elaborated  this  mat- 
ter into  five  treatises  :  (1)  *'  The  Earths  in  our  Solar 
System,  called  Planets,  and  the  Earths  in  the  Starry 
Heavens ;  their  Inhabitants,  and  the  Spirits  and 
Angels  therefrom,  from  things  heard  and  seen  ;"  (2) 
"The  New  Jerusalem  and  its  Heavenly  Doctrine, 
from  things  heard  from  heaven ;"  (3)  "  Concerning 
the  White  Horse,  mentioned  in  Rev.  xix.,  and  con- 
cerning the  Word  and  its  internal  or  spiritual  sense ;" 


^. 


(^4)  "  On  the  Last  Judgment  and  Babylon  destroyed, 
thus  how  all  things  predicted  in  Revelation  are  this 
day  fulfilled;  from  things  heard  and  seen;"  (5) 
"  Heaven  and  its  Wonders,  and  Hell,  from  things 
heard  and  seen."  These  he  took  to  London  and 
published  in  1758.  On  the  19th  of  July,  1759,  a 
fire  broke  out  in  Stockholm  which  swept  over  a 
large  part  of  the  southern  suburbs  of  the  city  where 
Swedenborg's  house  was  situated.  That  very  day, 
Swedenborg,  returning  from  England,  landed  at 
Gottenburg,  on  the  opposite  side  of  Sweden.  He 
was  invited  by  a  friend  to  a  large  dinner-])arty. 
About  six  o'clock  he  left  the  room,  and  returned 
pale  and  alarmed.  He  said  that  a  fire  was  raging  in 
Stockholm  fthree  hundred  miles  away),  that  the  house 
of  one  of  his  friends  was  destroyed,  and  his  own 
house  threatened.  He  was  anxious  until  eight 
o'clock,  when  he  announced  that  the  fire  had  been 
stopped  only  three  doors  from  his  own  house.  The 
news  spread  rapidly  through  the  city,  and  reaching 
the  governor's  ears,  he  sent  for  Swedenborg,  who  fully 
described  the  fire.  Two  days  later  a  messenger  arrived 
from  Stockholm  with  the  news,  whose  description 
was  in  exact  accord  with  Swedenborg's.  A  few  years 
after,  the  philosopher  Kant  had  this  story  carefully 
investigated  on  the  spot,  and  found  it  abundantly 
verified  by  personal  testimony. 

It  was  probably  from  this  occurrence  that  Swe- 
denborg's  claim  to  have  intercourse  with  the  spirit- 
ual world  first  became  widely  known.     He  was  now 


26 


EMANUEL  SWEDRNBORQ, 


visited  by  many  curiosity-hunters,  but  they  received 
no  encouragement.  Not  long  after,  the  queen,  to 
test  him,  asked  him  to  tell  her  a  secret  which  her 
brother  had  communicated  to  her  just  before  his 
death.  A  few  days  later  Swedenborg  gave  her  the 
substance  and  circumstances  of  the  conversation. 
The  queen  turned  pale,  and  declared  that  none  but 
God  and  her  brother  could  possibly  have  known  the 
fact. 

These  and  two  or  three  similar  occurrences  excited 
great  wonder  and  much  public  discussion.  But 
Swedenborg  carefully  refrained  from  any  effort  to 
make  converts  in  this  way.  He  appealed  only  to 
the  reason  or  the  love  of  truth,  and  would  have  his 
teachings  received  on  no  other  ground.     ' 

About  this  time  Swedenborg  seems  to  have  entered 
more  actively  into  public  life  than  ever  before.  He 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  business  of  the  Diet  of 
1760-61 .  Count  von  Hopken  testifies  that  "  the  most 
solid  memorials,  and  the  best  penned  at  the  Diet  of 
1761,  on  matters  of  finance,  were  presented  by  him. 
In  one  of  these  he  refuted  a  large  work  in  quarto  on 
the  same  subject,  quoted  all  the  corresponding  pas- 
sages of  it,  and  all  this  in  less  than  one  sheet." 

Thus  at  the  very  time  when  Swedenborg's  mental 
soundness  was  being  assailed  (beciuise  of  his  claim  to 
have  intercourse  with  the  spiritual  world,  which  was 
now  widely  discussed  and  criticised),  we  find  him 
taking  a  specially  active  and  prominent  part  in 
public  affairs,  and  re-establishing  in  the  public  mind 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG. 


27 


his  reputation  for  exceptional  wisdom  and  foresight 
in  all  practical  matters.  This  may  have  been  a  mere 
coincidence.  Or  it  may  have  been  that  Sweden- 
borg thought  best  to  give  in  this  way  a  practical 
refutation  of  these  suspicions  and  aspersions.  Swe- 
denborg was  now  (in  1761)  seventy -three  years  of 
age,  and  this  seems  to  have  been  his  last  active  par- 
ticipation in  public  affairs. 

During  this  period  there  was  no  interruption  of 
his  other  labors.  The  largest  of  the  works  that  he 
left  unpublished,  though  evidently  intended  for 
publication,  was  the  "  Apocalypse  Explained."  The 
English  translation  fills  six  large  octavo  volumes. 
It  is  a  spiritual  exposition  of  the  book  of  Kevela- 
tion.  This  work  was  probably  written  mainly,  if 
not  entirely,  in  London,  between  the  spring  of  1758 
and  the  summer  of  1759.  There  are  two  MSS.  of 
it,  one  a  rough  draft,  the  other  a  clear  copy  ready 
for  the  printer,  the  title-page  of  Vol.  I.  bearing  the 
intended  imprint,  "London,  1759."  Towards  the 
latter  part  of  the  work  the  expositions  become  briefer, 
and  doctrinal  subjects  are  discussed  in  each  para- 
graph, which  finally  run  into  regular  treatises,  form- 
ing a  sort  of  appendix  to  the  work.  These  and  a 
few  other  small  treatises,  left  unpublished,  fill  out 
Swedenborg's  achievements  in  1759-60. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  from  1759,  when  Swe- 
denborg's  claim  to  have  intercourse  with  the  spiritual 
world  became  generally  known,  down  to  1766,  with 
the  exception  of  one  small  treatise  of  twenty-eight 


"— lfrr 


28 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORO. 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORO. 


29 


<     ! 


pages,  he  published  no  detailed  accounts  of  his  ex- 
periences in  the  spiritual  world.  It  was  during  this 
period  of  seven  years  that  his  chief  works  on  purely 
doctrinal  subjects  were  written  and  published. 

In  1761-62,  Swedenborg  wrote  four  doctrinal 
treatises,  "  The  Doctrine  of  the  Lord,"  "  The  Doc- 
trine of  Sacred  Scripture,"  "  Tlie  Doctrine  of  Life," 
and  "  The  Doctrine  of  Faith."  The  translations  of 
these  have  generally  been  published  in  one  volume, 
entitled  "  The  Four  Doctrines." 

It  is  another  significant  f\ct  that  during  the  five 
years  from  1758  to  1763,  Swedenborg  published 
nothing,  and  that  when,  in  1762,  the  first  of  the 
above  treatises  was  ready  for  the  printer,  he  went, 
not-to  London,  where  his  previous  works  had  been 
issued,  but  to  Amsterdam,  where  all  the  remainder 
of  his  works  were  published,  with  the  single  ex- 
ception of  a  small  philosophical  tract,  printed  at 
London  in  1769.  The  probable  reason  for  this  was 
.he  derisive  way  in  which  both  his  previous  works 
and  his  claim  had  been  treated,  not  only  in  Sweden 
but  also  in  England. 

Swedenborg  seems  to  have  been  at  Amsterdam 
during  the  greater  part  of  1762,  where  he  completed 
"  The  Four  Doctrines."  He  was  back  in  Stockholm 
at  the  beginning  of  1763,  but  returned  to  Amsterdam 
in  June  of  that  year,  when  he  found  "  The  Four 
Doctrines"  ready  for  delivery. 

As  soon  as  "  The  Four  Doctrines"  were  completed, 
Swedenborg   wrote  two    connected    treatises,   "On 


the  Divine  Love"  and  "  On  the  Divine  Wisdom," 
which  he  left  unpublished.  But  before  "he  returned 
to  Amsterdam,  in  June,  1763,  he  had  ready  one  of 
his  most  important  works,  entitled  "  Angelic  Wisdom 
concerning  the  Divine  Love  and  the  Divine  Wis- 
dom," which  was  published  in  the  autumn  of  that 
year.  It  was  immediately  followed,  in  1764,  by 
"  Angelic  Wisdom  concerning  Divine  Providence." 
These  works  are  a  discussion  of  the  fundamental 
principles  of.  theology.  The  first  treats  of  the  op- 
erations of  the  Divine  Love  and  Wisdom  in  creating 
and  sustaining  the  universe,  the  second,  of  its  opera- 
tions in  the  creation  and  government  of  the  human 
race.  Assuming  that  the  Divine  end  in  creation  is 
a  heaven  of  free  and  rational  beings,  it  shows  how  all 
things  in  human  history  are  consistent  with  that  end. 

As  soon  as  this  last  work  was  through  the  press, 
Swedenborg  returned  home  by  the  way  of  London 
and  Copenhagen,  where  he  presented  these  doctrinal 
treatises  to  the  public  libraries.  He  reached  Stock- 
holm in  August,  1764. 

He  now  set  at  work  on  a  new  and  briefer  ex- 
position of  the  Apocalypse,  called  "  The  Apocalypse 
Revealed,"  showing  that  its  predictions  relate  in  a 
special  sense  to  the  last  judgment  and  the  establish- 
ment of  a  new  Christian  Dispensation.  He  now 
begins  again  to  publish  accounts  of  his  experiences 
in  the  spiritual  world.  These  "  Memorabilia"  are 
appended  to  each  of  the  chapters  of  this  and  hk 
subsec^uent  works, 


■s 


30 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORO. 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG, 


31 


This  work  on  the  Apocalypse  occupied  his  time 
from  August,  1764,  until  the  summer  of  ih^  next 
year,  when  he  again  embarked  for  Amsterdam,  where 
the  work  was  published  in  a  large  quarto  volume  of 
629  pages.     The  English  translation  fills  two  octavo 
volumes.     The  work  was  issued  in  the  spring  of 
1766,  after  which  Swedenborg  went  to  England  for 
a  few  months,  and  reached  Stockholm  in  September. 
On  his  return,  Swedenborg  took  up  the  doctrine 
of  conjugial  love,  which  is  fundamental  in  his  system, 
since  that  love  has  its  origin  in  the  union  of  love  and 
wisdom  in  the  Lord  Himself.      According  to  his 
usual  custom,  he  wrote  a  preliminary  work,  only  the 
index  of  which  has  come  down  to  us;  but  from  that 
it  appears  that  the  work  contained  over  two  thousand 
paragraphs.     Out  of  this  he  constructed  the  work  he 
published  under  the  title  "  The  Delights  of  Wisdom 
relating  to  Conjugial  Love;"  to  which  is  added  the 
"  Pleasures  of  Insanity  relating  to  Scortatory  Love. 
By  Emanuel  Swedenborg,  a  Swede."     This  was  the 
first  of  his  theological  works  on  the  title-page  of 
which  the  author's   name  appeared.      He   appends 
to  it,  moreover,  a  list  of  his  previous  works,  thereby 
formally  acknowledging  the  authorship,  which,  how- 
ever, he  had  never  attempted  to  conceal. 

A  year  and  a  half  was  consumed  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  this  work  ;  that  is,  from  the  autumn  of  1766 
to  the  spring  of  1768.  When  it  was  completed  Swe- 
denborg was  eighty  years  of  age.  Again  he  went  to 
Amsterdam  to  superintend  the  printing  of  the  work. 


I 


It  was  issued  in  the  autumn  of  that  year,  and  had  a 
larger  inimediate  sale  than   any  of  his    previous 

works. 

At  the  end  of  the  work  on  "Conjugial  Love," 
Swedenborg  announces  the  publication,  within  two 
years,  of  a  complete  statement  of  '^  the  Doctrine  of 
the  New  Church  predicted  by  the  Lord  in  the 
Apocalypse."  To  tliis  task  he  now  turned.  But 
foreseeing  the  extent  of  tlie  work,  he  concluded  to 
publish  first  a  synopsis  of  it.  This  came  from  the 
press  a  few  months  after  "  Conjugial  Love,"  under 
the  title  "  A  Brief  Exposition  of  the  Doctrine  of  the 
New  Church,  which  is  meant  by  the  New  Jerusalem 
in  the  Apocalypse."  The  English  translation  fills 
eighty-six  octavo  pages.  This  work  was  sent  by  the 
author  to  all  the  clergy  in  Holland. 

After  the  publication  of  this  work,  in  April,  1769, 
Swedenborg  left  Amsterdam  for  Paris,  where  he  in- 
tended to  issue  an  edition  of  the  "Brief  Exposition," 
which  he  seemed  to  regard  as  the  theological  platform 
on  which  the  New  Dispensation  was  to  rest.  From 
Paris  he  went  to  London,  and  there  procured  the 
publication  of  the  work  in  English.  He  also  pub- 
lished there  at  this  time  a  small  philosophical  tract 
on  "  The  Intercourse  between  the  Soul  and  the  Body." 
This  treatise  is  supposed  tx)  have  been  written  in  reply 
to  a  letter  from  Immanuel  Kant. 

By  October,  Swedenborg  had  reached  Stockholm. 
The  next  eight  months  were  devoted  to  the  first  draught 
of  the  work,  which  is,  as  it  were,  the  keystone  of  his 


32 


EMANUEL  SWEDENBORQ, 


system.  This  he  completed  on  the  nineteenth  of  June 
of  the  next  year  (1770).  A  month  later  he  left 
Stockholm  for  the  last  time  (he  was  now  eighty-two 
years  old),  to  publish  this  work  at  Amsterdam.  Here 
he  seems  to  have  largely  rewritten  it.  It  was  some 
nine  or  ten  months  in  passing  through  the  press,  and 
was  published  at  the  end  of  June,  1771,  under  the 
title  of  "The  True  Christian  Religion,  containing 
the  Whole  Theology  of  the  New  Church,  which  is 
foretold  by  the  Lord  in  Daniel  vii.  13,  14,  and  in 
Revelation  xxi.  1,  2.  By  Emanuel  Swedenborg, 
servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  It  was  issued  in 
a  large  quarto  volume  of  541  pages.  The  English 
translation  fills  nearly  850  pages  octavo. 

On  the  publication  of  this  work  Swedenborg  left 
Amsterdam  for  London,  where  he  spent  the  winter, 
writing  a  few  things  which  he  left  in  manuscript. 
Here  he  died  on  the  29th  of  March,  1772,  at  the  age 
of  eiglity-four. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

AMKinCAN  NEW  CHURCH  TRACT  AND  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY, 
Twenty-Second  and  Chestnut  Stbeets. 

HEW  CHORCH  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION,  Ho.  20  COOPER  UNION,  NEW  TORI. 

BOSTON:  MASSACHUSETTS  NEW  CHURCH  UNION,  169  TREMONT  STREET. 


Printed  by  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  Philadelphia. 


i 


